
CAtlFORNiA 

Mountains 

J. SMEATON CHASE 




Class. 

Book - C^nJC/4 ^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



CONE -BEARING TREES 

OF THE 

CALIFORNIA 
MOUNTAINS 



CONE-BEARING TREES 

OF THE 

CALIFORNIA 
MOUNTAINS 



BY 



J. SMEATON CHASE 

AITHOU OF YOSE31ITE TRAILS 



FCLLY ILLU.STKATEI) FROM PHOTOGKArHS 
AXD DRAWINGS 




CHICAGO 

A. C. McCLURG k CO. 

1911 






( OI'VKKiH'r 

A. C. McCLURG & CO. 

1911 
Published February, 1911 






C CU283031 



INTRODUCTION 

IN sending out this little book dealing with an exten- 
sive subject_, it is necessary to preface it with a few 
explanatory paragraphs. It is prepared not by a botan- 
ist for botanists^ nor by a botanist for students^ but by a 
tree-lover for tree-lovers^ and aims simply at enabling 
any one going into our California mountains to distin- 
guish the pines^ firs^ and other coniferous trees he may 
meet. 

The writci has carefully avoided technical terms^ 
except in the necessary regard of giving the definite bo- 
tanical names^ and has restricted himself to noting the 
broad characteristics of each species^ in order to secure 
simplicity. In larger books the reader would find a mul- 
titude of differentiations^ particularizations^ and excep- 
tions which are valuable and necessary for close students^ 
but would bring only mystification and uncertainty to 
the great majority of those for whom especially this 
manual is intended. Guided by the illustrations provided 
in this small book and the typical characteristics given 
in the text, the traveller in our mountains will have little 
or no difficulty in recognizing his tree-company. 

Be it remembered^ however, that families of trees^ 
like races of men, may vary greatly in their individuals. 



I N T 11 () I) U C T I () X 

In general habit of growth^ and to some extent in the 
detail of features^ the}^ are disturbed by circumstances 
outside the normal. In exposed positions the bark is 
likely to be redder and the leaves shorter than is usual^ 
and the shape of the tree may be quite irregular; young 
trees will be found to vary from the mature type in some 
particulars ; and any species of tree will modify its 
growth according as it stands in close or open forest. 
The characteristics here noted are the features of the 
full-grown trees in their normal growth, and they are 
stated with as much both of exactness and elasticity as 
careful consideration in each case seemed to warrant. 

Only the inland and mountain species of the California 
conifers are described in this book. The coast species 
are limited to a very few beyond those which are re- 
ferred to in connection with certain of the mountain trees. 
To name them briefly, they are: 

Pinus radiata, the well-known ]\Ionterey-pine, widely 

cultivated in gardens. 
Pinus torreyana, the unique Torrey-pine^ found only 
in a small locality near the mouth of the Soledad 
River in San Diego County and on Santa Rosa 
Island. 
Pinus muricata, the Prickle-cone-pine^ which grows on 
the coast of Northern^ ]\Iiddle, and Lower Cali- 
fornia (not in Southern California)^ and on 
Cedros Island. 
Pinus contorta, the Scrub-pine or Beach-pine^ growing 
near the coast in Northern California. (See ref- 
erence on p. 37 under head of P, murrayana.^ 

VI 



1 X T ROD r C 1' 1 () N 

Abies venusiay the BristU'-cone-iir. confined to the 
Santa Lucia ^lountains near the coast of Mon- 
terey County: and A. grandis, or Grand-fir. found 
in the northern coast counties of the State. 

Tsucja heterophijlla, the Coast-hemlock, inhabiting the 
northern coast region as far south as ^lendocino 
County. 

Picea sitchensis, the Sitka-spruce^ growing near the 
coast of the northern counties. (There is also 
a mountain spruce, P. hreiceriana or Weeping- 
spruce, found in the extreme north of the State. 
The tree is rare, and has not been illustrated in 
this book.) 

Beyond these there are the following cedars and 
cypresses, mainly confined to the coast regions, viz. : the 
Port Orford cedar, Chamaecyparis laxvsoniana, and the 
Red-cedar or Arborvitae, Thuja plicata; the well-known 
Monterey-cypress, Ciipressus macrocarpa, used so gen- 
erally for hedges and windbreaks, and four other cy- 
presses, C. goveniana, C. macnahiana, C. sargentii, and 
C. hal^eri. 

A few words are necessary also on the subject of 
names. Over the whole matter of the colloquial names 
of trees a mild anarchy reigns, and this is particularly 
the case in regard to the family of the Coniferae, which 
includes a large number of individuals bearing a gen- 
eral resemblance to other members of their own or even 
of a different genus. Such words as ''black," 'Svhite," 
*'red," ''silver." 'Vscrub," and so forth^ are applied care- 
lessly, and often with no particular fitness, to distinct 

VII 



I N r K () 1) r c 1^ I () N 

trees in different localities ; while the use of such terms 
as *'jack^" ''bull/' etc._, approaches the humorous in its 
liopeless irrelevance. Even the main divisions of genus 
are commonly disregarded^ firs being often called 
spruces^ spruces hemlocks^ and all and sundry pines. 
As an instance may be cited the well-known' ''Douglas- 
spruce/' Pseiidotsiicja tcurifoUa : it is known to most 
lumbermen as Red-fir or Douglas-fir; the timber is every- 
where sold as Oregon pine ; yet the tree is neither spruce, 
fir^ nor pine^ but a ''false" hemlock. It seemed necessary, 
however^ in a book of this description^ to note all the 
commonly used names of each tree^ following the botani- 
cal name^ rather than risk throwing the reader off the 
scent. The first of the names given in each case is the 
one which the w^ritcr finds most generally preferred by 
authorities^ and hence it is the one which he would re- 
commend to his readers and under which it appears in 
the index. 

As regards the botanical names, also, some confusion 
exists^ due to various causes : sometimes to actual differ- 
ence of opinion as to the identity of trees, sometimes to 
a question of priority of publication of the names given 
by different botanists to a newly discovered species, 
sometimes to accidental causes such as mixture of seeds 
or specimens. The nomenclature here followed is that 
of Professor W. L. Jepson, of the University of Cali- 
fornia, in his "Flora of California," now issuing from the 
press. It seemed best in a few cases to give alternative 
designations, but this has been done only when the differ- 
ing names have appeared in authoritative current works. 



1 X T 11 () 1) U C T 1 () N 

The photographs used to illustrate this book^ with 
the exception of two which are noted as having been 
courteously supplied by the Forest Service of the De- 
partment of Agriculture^ were taken by the writer es- 
pecially for this purpose. The line-drawings are the 
work of my friend^ ]Mr. Carl Eytel^ and were made 
directly from the specimens with the exception of the 
two which are stated as being re-drawn from "The 
Silva of North America" of Professor C. S. Sargent^ by 
kind permission of the publishers^ Houghton Mifflin Com- 
pany^ of Boston^ Mass. 

The writer has pleasure in acknowledging his indebt- 
edness to the works of other and more scientific authors^ 
notably to the superb "Silva of North America/' re- 
ferred to above^ and to the admirable publication of the 
United States Department of Agriculture, "Forest Trees 
of the Pacific Slope/' by Mr. George B. Sudworth^ Den- 
drologist of the Forest Service ; by reference to which 
the writer has been able to check and verify his own 
studies in the field. 

J. S. C. 
Los Angeles, California, 
January, 1911, 



CONE-BEARIXG TREES 

OF 11 IE 

CALIFORNIA 
MOUNTAINS 




S U G A R - P I X E 

Piniis lamhertiana 



CONE-15EA1UXG TllEES OE C ALli-OKN lA 




PINUS LAMBERTIANA 

( SUGAR-PINE ) 



npHE finest of all the pines, both in beauty of 

tree and value of its timber. The stem is 

perfectly straight, round, and tapered, and in 

favorable positions the full-grown tree is from 

[13] 



cox E- BE A U J X Ci T K EES O F C A L I FOR X I A 

150 to 200 feet or more high, and from 4 to 8 
or more feet in diameter. JNIature trees have 
a very open, wide crown of irregular, often 
horizontal branches, of which a few extend far 
beyond the others. It grows freely on the 
western slope of the Sierra Nevada at from 
3,000 to 7,000 feet elevation, and to a limited 
extent on the eastern slope, and continues 
through the mountains of Southern California 
and on into Lower California at slightly higher 
ranges. BARK is 2 or 3 inches thick, of a 
handsome brown or reddish color with a 
purple tinge, regularly and finely broken. 
LEAVES grow 5 in a cluster, are dark green, 
and from 3 to 4 inches long. CONES are the 
longest and most beautiful of all cones, from 
12 to 20 inches long, sometimes longer; 
straight, slender, pointed, hanging on short 
stems from tips of upper branches : green when 
growing, clear light brown when dry. The 
"sugar" IS found in the form of grains where 
wounds have occurred on the trunk. It is 
medicinal, and should not be used over-freely. 



[14] 




Y E L L O W - P I X E S 

Pinus ponderosa 



CONE-BEARING TREES OE CALIFORNIA 




PINUS PONDEROS A 

( YELLOW-PINE, PITCH-PINE, BULL-PINE, SILVER-PINE, 
WESTERN YELLOW-PINE ) 

A STRAIGHT^ symmetrical tree of 125 to 150 
'^^^ feet average height, or up to 200, and 
from 3 to 6 or even 8 feet thickness: valuable 
for its timber. In its typical growth it forms 
a remarkably perfect slender pyramid: in old 
trees the lower branches trend strongly down 
in angular reaches. It grows freely on the 
western slope of the Sierra Nevada at as low 

[17] 



CONE-BEARING TKEES OF CALIIORNIA 

as 1,500 feet, but in the central and southern 
parts of the range it begins at about 2,500 feet 
and is found up to 6,000 feet. In the Southern 
Cahfornia mountains it grows at from 3,000 or 
4,000 up to 9,000 feet. BARK ranges from 
pale buff to reddish brown, and on old trees is 
3 or 4 inches thick and forms large, irregular 
plates, often 3 or 4 feet long and 1^ feet wide. 
LEAVES in 3s, from 5 to 11 inches long, 
bright yellowish green, borne in star-like clus- 
ters at ends of twigs. CONES 3 to 6 inches 
long, pointed oval when open, often in clusters : 
green or sometimes purple when mature, light 
red-brown when dry. Scale-tips have a short 
prickle. Cones are stemless and often some 
of the small unopened base-scales remain at- 
tached to the tree when the cone falls. 



[18] 




JEFFREY -PINE 

Pinus ponder osa var, jeffreyi 
Open growth 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




PINUS PONDEROSA var. JEFFREYI 

( JEFFREY-PIXE ) 



rpnis tree is considered by many authorities 
^ to be a species separate from the preced- 
ing, and is called by them P. jeffreyi. Cer- 
tainly the two types merge into one another in 
a very confusing manner. Generally speak- 
ing, the Jeffrey-pine is a somewhat smaller but 
wider branched tree, and the branches are less 
angular. BARK is redder and broken into 

[21] 



CONE-BEAKING TREES OE CALIEORNIA 

smaller plates. LEAVES are similar to those 
of the typical ponderosa but of a bluer shade 
and hardly as long. CONES are very much 
larger and somewhat rounder, from 6 to 11 
inches long; otherwise similar. The tree does 
not descend so low as the regular ponderosa, 
but mixes with it in its middle and upper 
ranges and continues beyond it, growing often 
on high, exposed ridges where it suffers ex- 
treme dwarfing and appears in remarkable 
shapes. It grows well on the eastern slopes 
of the Sierra Xevada, reaching out on to the 
high desert levels of Inyo and Mono Counties, 
and is found on the mountains of the San 
Gabriel Reserve and on San Bernardino, 
San Jacinto and the Cuyamaca Mountains. 



[22] 




C O UL TE R-P I N E 
Pinus coulteri 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




P INU S CO U LT E B I 

(coulter-pine, big-cone-pine, pitch-pine, bull-pine) 



A STURDY tree, well branched and heavily 
^^^^ foliaged, seldom over 70 feet in height 
and 4 feet in diameter. The branches often 
grow almost to the ground, and, spread- 
ing widely, give to the tree a sharp conical 
form. It has a general resemblance to the 
ponderosa and jeffreyi species, and is some- 

[25] 



CON E- BP: AR 1 X G TREES O E C AL lEORN I A 

times found growing Avitli them. It is com- 
mon in the mountain ranges of Southern and 
Lower Cahfornia, and grows also in some 
parts of the Coast Range but not north of the 
latitude of San Francisco. Its range of alti- 
tude runs from 2,500 up to 6,500 feet. This 
pine or the Douglas-spruce is usually the first 
of the conifers met in ascending the mountains 
of Southern California. BARK is very dark 
brown, rugged, and thick near base of tree. 
LEAVES are 3 to a cluster, stiff, strong, 
dark bright green, usually erect, with an aver- 
age length of about 10 inches, and grow in 
dense brushy masses on very thick branchlets. 
COXES are very large and heavy, often over 
a foot long and 6 or 7 inches thick, the scales 
prolonged into formidable claws. They gen- 
erally grow singly but occasionally two or 
three together, and are sometimes produced 
on the main stem. In falling, the cone breaks 
near the base, leaving some of the scales at- 
tached to the tree. 



\0G] 




D IG GE R-P I N E 
Pinus sabiniana 



CONK-BEAKING TKEES OF CALIFORNIA 




PINUS SABINIANA 

( DIGGER-PINE, GRAY-PINE^ BULL-PINE, PINON-PINE, 
NUT-PINE ) 



A THiN-roLiAGED^ Spindling tree, average 
-^ height 40 to 60 feet and thickness l^/^ to 2 
feet, usually dividing into several straight, up- 
ward-growing arms: quite unlike any other 
pine in the manner of growth. The first pine 
met in ascending the western slope of the 
Sierra Nevada throughout Central California, 

[29] 



CONE-BEARING TKEES OE CALIEOKNIA 

ranging between altitudes of about 1,000 to 
3,000 feet. Grows on dry, hot foothills, but 
not known south of the Tehachapi. BARK 
is dark grayish brown, deeply furrowed. 
LEAVES in sets of 3, from 8 to 12 inches 
long, sparse, drooping, grayish green. The 
tree gives hardly any shade. CONES are 
from 6 to 10 inches long, round-oval, coffee- 
brown when ripe. They grow on stout stems 
and do not easily fall from the tree. Scale- 
tips bend down and outward, ending in strong, 
thorny points. The wood is not of value ex- 
cept for firewood, but the seeds are eaten by 
the Digger Indians. (These seeds are not the 
true pinons, which are borne by the Single-leaf 
pine, P. monojyhylla.) 



[80] 




KNOB-CONE-PINE 
Pinus tuberculata 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




PINUS TUBERCU LATA 

Also called P. attenuata 

( KNOB-CONE-PINE, SCRUB-PINE ) 

T TsuALLY a small, slender, straight-growing 
^-^ tree of from 20 to 40 feet height, some- 
times much taller, and 1 to II/2 feet diameter, 
but often found with a forked stem, and some- 
times of a round, bushy growth. It grows in 

[S3] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

small isolated areas on the western slope of the 
Sierra Xevada, usually at altitudes of from 
2,000 to 5,000 feet; also in the Coast Range 
and on the southern slope of the San Bernar- 
dino Mountains, and possibly on San Jacinto 
JMountain. BARK is thin, dull grayish brown, 
somewhat furrowed. LEAVES grow in 3s 
and are from 4 to 7 inches long, slender, pli- 
able, of a clean light green. COXES are from 
5 to 7 inches long, pointed, slightly curved, set 
often in circles attached, points downward, di- 
rectly to branches or main stem. They remain 
indefinitely on the tree with scales unopened, 
so that the trees are only propagated by acci- 
dent, as when fire or storm overthrows them. 
The scales bear prickles and are often devel- 
oped into strong, curved hooks on the convex 
side of the cone. Color of dry cones is light 
brown. The trees bear cones when a few years 
old, but the age limit is not known as fire is 
almost always the cause of death ; they are not 
thought to be long-lived. 



[34] 




TAMARACK 

Pinus murrayana 
Open growth 



CONE-BEAllING TllEES Ol' CALIEORNIA 




P INU S MURRAYANA 

( TAMARACK, LODGE-POLE-PINE ) 



rXlHis tree, the common "tamarack" of the Si- 
erra, is by some botanists considered to be 
a variety of the species contorta, but is now us- 
ually distinguished as a separate species, apart 
from P. contorta, the "Scrub-pine" of the coast 
regions. In close stands it is a straight, slim 
tree of from 50 to 100 feet height and 2 to 3 
feet thickness, scanty of foliage, and bare of 
branches for half its height. Where it grows 
more openly it does not exceed 60 feet in height 

[37] 



COXE-BEAKING TliEES OF CALIEOKNIA 

and the foliage is denser and continues to the 
ground. It has an unusually wide range, of 
from 4,000 to 10,000 feet, mainly on the west- 
ern slope of the Sierra Nevada, w^here it forms 
great homogeneous forests, but extending in 
places to the eastern side. Where it reaches 
timber-line it is often much dwarfed. It grows 
also on some peaks of the San Gabriel Reserve 
and on the San Bernardino and San Jacinto 
^Mountains, and extends into Lower California. 
BARK is thin, smooth, and scaly, peeling off 
in sheets like birch-bark; usually gray but 
somewhat brownish; in exposed places verg- 
ing on red : and so resinous that the tree suffers 
to an exceptional degree from fire. LEAVES 
are in 2s, from 1^4 to 3 inches long, stiff, yel- 
lowish green, tufty or ''foxtail" in manner of 
growth. COXES are 1^/4 to 2y^> inches long, 
bright green when growing, red-brown when 
dry. The scales open and curve backward like 
flower petals, except the unfertile scales at the 
bottom, which remain closed, forming a flat 
base. The timber is of fair quality and will in 
time be valuable. 



[38] 




S I L V E R-P I N E 
Pinus monticola 



CONE-BEAKING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




PINUS MONTICOLA 

( SILVER-PINE, MOUNTAIN-PINE, LITTLE SUGAR-PINE, 
WESTERN WHITE-PINE ) 



A STURDY tree, carrying heavier branches 
"^^ than do most pines (often with one or 
two very much developed), and reaching a 
height of 100 or occasionally 150 feet, with a 
diameter of from 3 to 6 or more feet. It is 
found at elevations of from 6,000 to 10,000 
feet on the western face of the Sierra Nevada 
as far south as the headwaters of the Kern 

[41] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

lliver; also to some extent on the eastern slope. 
It attains its finest growth at the greatest al- 
titudes. BARK is about 1 inch thick, cinna- 
mon red, checked into small squarish plates. 
LEAVES are 5 to a cluster, blue-green, and 
from 2 to 4 inches long. COXES are from 
5 to 10 inches long, slender, pointed, usually 
curved, borne on stout stems; green when 
growing, changing to purple ; light brown when 
dry ; much resembling the cones of the Sugar- 
pine, but not half the size. The timber is al- 
most equal in grade to that of the Sugar-pine. 



[42] 





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FOXTAIL-PINE 
Pinus balfouriana 

Photograph kindly supplied by Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




Re-drawn from Sargent^ s '"''Silva of North America,^^ by permission of the 
publishers^ Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. 



PINUS BALFOUBIANA 

( FOXTAIL-PINE, BALFOUR-PINE ) 



A LITTLE-KNOWN species occurring irregu- 
larly and at high altitudes, at or near 
timber-hne. Mature trees are usually about 
40 or 50 feet high and from 2 to 3 feet thick. 
The tree is not so shapely as most pines, the 
branches being very unequal in length and the 
top of the main stem often broken or dead. It 

[45] 



CONE- BEARING TKEES OE CAEIEORNIA 

is found near the southern end of the Sierra 
Nevada from the region of the South Fork 
of the San Joaquin River southward to the 
South Fork of the Kern, and occurs also in 
the neighhorhood of ]Mt. Shasta and in the 
northern Coast Range. BARK is dark warm 
brown (hghter and redder in exposed situa- 
tions), rather thin, broken into rectangular 
plates. LEAVES grow in sets of 5, are about 
1 inch long, stiff, bright green, curved, ar- 
ranged in a close, brushy manner at and near 
the ends of the branchlets (whence its com- 
mon name of ''foxtail-pine"). CONES are 
oval, from 3 to 5 inches long, pendent from the 
ends of branchlets, dark purple when growing, 
changing to red-brown when dry. 



[46] 





i 


1 










^M»Jiiikil^l^H^^HH^H^^K 4»^^^^^^^H 


■^■F'-' . ^'^ 




^^^^^'•■■■^- '-'^^ v^-. ' ^^'-"^^ >i'' 




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HfeHH^^^^^^^^H^I^I 



LIMB E- R -PINE 
Pinus flexilis 



CONE-BEARING TREES OE CALIEORNIA 




P I N U S F LE X I LI S 

( LIMBER-PINE^ WHITE-PINE ) 



A RATHER small, irregularly shaped tree, 
from 30 to 50 feet in height (occasionally 
taller), and from 2 to 4 feet in diameter, with 
long branches which often grow almost to the 
ground. It is a somewhat rare species in Cali- 
fornia, and inhabits only high altitudes of from 
8,000 up to 12,000 feet. Its northern limit in 

[49] 



COXE-15EARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

this State is Bloody Canon, east of the Yo- 
semite, from whence southward it occurs ir- 
regularly on both slopes of the Sierra Nevada 
and continues to the Sierra Madre, San Ber- 
nardino, and San Jacinto ^Mountains. It is 
also found at high elevations on the desert 
ranges of South-eastern California. BARK 
of old trees is very dark brown, deeply checked 
into small oblong blocks. The bark of small 
branches and twigs is often white. LEAVES 
grow 5 in a cluster, are from 1 to 3 inclies long, 
yellowish green, stiff, curved, and produced in 
dense tufts at ends of branchlets. CONES 
are pointed oval, from 3 to 10 inches long (but 
not often over 5 inches) , stemless or nearly so, 
with wide, rounded scales much thickened at 
the tips. The small scales at the top are us- 
uallv reflexed. Color is lig^ht olive green when 
growing, clear light brown when dry. They 
are borne often on quite small trees. 



^0] 




M^. 




WHITE-BARK-PINE 

Pinus albicaulis 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




PINUS ALBICAULIS 

( WHITE-BARK-PINE, WHITE-PINE, DWARF-PINE, ALPINE 
WHITE-PINE ) 

A LOW-GROWING, straggling tree, seldom 
more than 40 feet in height, usually tak- 
ing the form of a group of poles leaning at 
various angles, and, in exposed positions, often 
creeping in dense mats along the ground. It 
is the tree of the highest altitudes, appearing 
as timber-line is approached and continuing in 
dwarfed forms up to the limit of tree life, 
which is at about 11,000 or 12,000 feet. It is 
found on both sides of the crest of the Sierra 

[53] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

Nevada, and as far south as the San Bernar- 
dino Mountains. BARK is thin, gray or whit- 
ish, smooth except at base of stem. LEAVES 
are in clusters of 5, from l^^ to 2l/^ inches 
long, of a clean bright green, growing in thick 
tufts at the ends of stout branchlets which are 
extremel)^ tough and pliable. COXES are 
oval or nearly round, from l^^ to 3 inches long, 
deep purple or almost black, formed of a small 
number of thick, blunt scales ; the color changes 
to brown as the cones dry. 



[5-i] 




BRISTLE-CO NE-P INE 

Pinus aristata 

Photograph kindly supplied by Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



COXE-BEARIXG TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




Re-dra-jjn from Sargent' s '' Silia of Xorth America/' by permission of the 
publishers, Houghton Mif.in Co., Boston, Mass. 

P I XU S ARISTATA 

( BRISTLE-COXE-PIXE, FOXTAIL-PIXE, HICKORY-PIXE ) 



A RATHER small, bushy tree, seldom over 
-^ 40 feet high and from 2 to 3 feet thick, of 
very limited occurrence in California, where it 
is found at high elevations on the desert ranges 
of the south-eastern part of the State. It is 
reported to grow scatteringly also on the east- 
ern slope of the Sierra Xevada near the Yo- 
semite Xational Park, but the writer has failed 
to discover it there. The tree may almost be said 

[57] 



CONE-BEAETNG TREES OF CAEIFOIlNI.\ 

to be habitually irreoular in shape, the main 
branches being heavy and much specialized and 
the stem often broken, the effect largely of the 
stormy regions it inhabits. BARK of mature 
trees is dark brown, slightly reddish, and not 
deeply checked. LEAVES are in clusters of 
5, from 1 to l^/^ inches long, stiff, somewhat 
curved, deep green, growing in dense mass^^s 
for a foot or so along the ends of the branch- 
lets. COXES are egg-shaped, about 3 inches 
long, dark red-brown when ripe, the scales 
tipped with rather long, sharp, thin prickles 
which curve toward the top of the cone. The 
tree is easily indentified by this peculiarity of 
its cone. 



[58] 




SINGLE-LEAF-PINE 

Pinus monophylla 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




PINUS MO NOP HY LLA 

( SINGLE-LEAF-PINE, NUT-PINE, PINON ) 



T T suALLY a low, angular-branched tree, more 
^^ like a small oak than a pine in habit of 
growth, and from 15 to 20 feet high; occasion- 
ally running up to as much as 50 feet with a 
crooked, spindling stem and short branches. 
Young trees are bushy but symmetrical, hav- 
ing the shape of a wide, rounded cone. The 
species is widely distributed over the dry des- 
ert slopes of the mountain ranges of Southern 
and South-eastern California, and is found on 

[61] 



COXE-BEAllIXG TREES OF CAEIEORNIA 

the eastern slope of the Sierra Xevada as far 
north as about the latitude of Lake Tahoe ; also 
on the western slope in a few dry localities 
and on the Tehachapi and neighboring cross- 
ranges. It inhabits in its various locahties a 
wide range of altitude, from 2,500 to 9,500 
feet, but always under desert conditions of soil 
and climate. BARK is dark brown, approach- 
ing black, and much fissured. LEAVES are 
from 1^4 to 214 inches long, stiff, sharp- 
pointed, light green, and grow singly instead 
of in sets of 2, 3, 4, or 5 as do those of all other 
North American pines. CONES are from iVo 
to 214 inches long, egg-shaped and bright 
green while growing, dark brown and irregu- 
larly globular when dry, formed of a small 
number of thick, blunt scales. They are borne 
profusely, mainly near the top of tree. Quite 
young trees produce cones. The seeds are 
large and palatable, and are used by the In- 
dians for food : they are also sold in fruit-stores 
as ''pinon-nuts," 



\60] 












^"^^ 



F O U R-L E A F-P I N E 
Pinus parryana 



CONE-BEAllING TllEES OF CALIEORNIA 




PINUS PARRYANA 

Also called Pinus quadrifolia 

( FOUR-LEAF-PINE, PARRY-PINE, NUT-PINE, PINON ) 

A SMALL^ trim tree, branching thickly and to 
the ground, very similar in general ap- 
pearance to P. monophylla, but unlike it in 
usually keeping its formal shape when past 
maturity. The branches divide and subdivide 
to an unusual degree, curving upwards and 
giving the tree a dense, bushy appearance. It 
rarely exceeds 30 feet in height and 1% feet 

[65] 



CONE-BExVlllNG TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

in diameter. The species is interesting by rea- 
son of its very limited habitat, being found 
(in the United States) only on the mountain 
ranges of extreme Southern California, south 
of San Jacinto JMountain, and there only scat- 
teringly, though it is more plentiful in northern 
Lower California. In range of altitude it over- 
laps the upper limit of P. monoplujlla, — in that 
region about 4,000 feet. BARK of the trunk 
is rough and dark reddish brown; that of 
branches and twigs is light grsij. LEAVES 
are generally in sets of 4, but occasionally ap- 
pear in 3s or 5s. (The unopened clusters at 
the ends of twigs may easily be mistaken for 
single leaves, and this, with the general like- 
ness of tree and cone to the monophylla species, 
may lead the unwary into error.) They are 
from 1 to 1% inches long, curved, and pale 
green. COXES are egg-shaped or round, II/2 
to 2 inches long, consisting of a few thick, ir- 
regular scales, and bearing large, edible seeds 
similar to those of the monophylla, and, like 
them, a valuable article of food to the Indians 
of the localities where the tree is found. 



[66] 




WHIT E-F I R 

Abies concolor 
A young tree 



C0NE-I5EA1{IXG TREES OF CALIl'ORXIA 




ABIES CON COLOR 

( WHITE-FIR, BALSAM-FIR, AVHITE SILVER-FIR ) 



A VERY handsome, straight, spire-shaped 
tree with short branches, from loO to 200 
feet in height and 5 to 6 feet in diameter. It 
is remarkable for its perfect symmetry when 
young and for the extreme regularity of its 
branching, the twigs and branchlets forming 
graceful horizontal sprays. It grows freely 
on the western slope of the Sierra Xevada, and 
to some extent on the eastern, at elevations of 

[69] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

from 4,000 to 8,000 feet, and is common in 
the mountains of Southern Cahfornia at some- 
what higher altitudes, continuing into Lower 
Cahfornia. BARK of mature trees is dark 
ashy gray, thick, much roughened when old. 
LEAVES are from % to 2 inches long, pale 
green, set usually in flat, lateral rows, herring- 
bone fashion, but often found turning upwards 
on the topmost branches and sometimes on 
others. COISTES are from 3 to 5 inches long, 
cylindrical, growing upright on the upper and 
outer branches. They are pale dull green in 
color and break up while on the tree. The 
foliage of both this and the following described 
species, A, magnifica, is strongly fragrant. 
The timber is of good quality but is not yet 
much used. 



[70] 




R E D-F I R 
A bies magnifica 



cone-beari>;g trees of California 




ABIES M A GN I F IC A 

( RED-FIR, BALSAM-FIR, MAGNIFICENT SILVER-FIR ) 



A TREE almost exactly similar in general 
^ habit of growth to the preceding {A. con- 
color, white-eir) , and even its superior in size 
and stateliness, fullj^ deserving its specific 
name. It grows often to over 200 feet in 
height and up to 8 or 9 feet in diameter. The 
original single top is frequently broken off and 
replaced by several upright spars, themselves 
often dead. It is conjmonly found with the 
White-fir but does not (except in its north- 
ern range) descend below 6,000 feet elevation 

[7S] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

while it extends up to 10,000 feet. It is not 
found in the mountains of Southern Cahf ornia. 
BARK is dark smoky red or purple in color, 
thick, deeply furrowed. LEAVES are from 
^ to 1 inch long, growing all around the twigs 
but curving up so that they stand upright like 
thick short grass. The mature foliage is dark 
green, the new young growth delicate silvery 
light green. COjS^ES are from 5 to 8 inches 
long, cylindrical, at first light green but ripen- 
ing to purple on the sunw^ard side. The}^ grow 
upright on the top and outer branches and 
break up while still on the tree. A variety of 
this species known as shastensis is found on Mt. 
Shasta and on the high peaks at the southern 
end of the Sierra. It is distinguished by the 
protruding bracts of the cone-scales. The tree 
yields a good quality of timber. 



[74] 




D () U G L A S - S P R U C E 
Pseudotsuga taxifolia 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 







PSEU DOT SVGA TAXIFOLIA 

Also called P. douglasii or P. mucronaia. 

( DOUGLAS-SPRUCE^ DOUGLAS-FIR^ HEMLOCK, RED-FIR ) 

A TALL, straight, slender tree, varying (in 
^^ California) from 150 to 200 feet high and 
from 4 to 6 feet in diameter when full grown, 
but reaching still larger size in the great for- 
ests of Oregon and Washington, of which it is 
the most prolific and valuable tree and where it 
is commonly called Red-fir by lumbermen. In 
Xorthern and Central California it grows us- 
ually mixed with other conifers, at altitudes 
of from 2,000 to 7.000 feet. It is found on the 
western slope of the Sierra Xevada and in the 
Coast Range. In the mountains of Southern 
California a different species, Pscudotsuga 

[77] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

macrocarpuj big-cone spruce, takes its place, 
and is usually the first of the coniferous trees 
met in ascending them. It is not so large as 
the northern species, seldom exceeding 80 feet 
in height and 3 in diameter, but more widely 
and heavily branched. BARK (of both spe- 
cies) is dark smoky brown, often very thick 
and roughly furrowed. LEAVES are from 
% to 1 14 inches long, growing singly on trail- 
ing feathery branchlets. When leaf -buds first 
open the young foliage is bright yellow-green, 
changing later to dark blue-green. CONES 
of northern species are from 2 to 4I/2 inches 
long; of southern, from 3^/^ to 7 inches; both 
long-oval and bright green when growing; 
round-oval and dark brown when dry. Both 
these trees are clearly known by the long, pro- 
truding, 3-pointed bracts which grow between 
the shell-like scales. The lumber of the north- 
ern species is the ''Oregon pine" (so-called) of 
commerce, the most useful and valuable of 
Western forest products. The bark is used 
considerably in tanning. The tree is known to 
live for several hundred years, and is, next to 
the two Sequoias, the largest of American 
trees. 

[78] 




I N C E X S E - C E D A R 

Lihocedrus decurrens 
A young tree 



CONE-BEARIXG TREES OF CALIFORNIA 




LIBOCEDRUS DECURREXS 

( INCENSE-CEDAR;, POST-CEDAR^ WHITE-CEDAR^ BASTARD- 
CEDAR ) 



A DISTINCTIVE, handsome tree of up to 125 
feet height but seldom over 100 feet, with 
a diameter of from 3 to 6 feet. Old trees 
spread much at the base and are almost always 
dead in their tops, with one or more heavy up- 
right limbs standing up parallel to the main 
stem. Young trees form very symmetrical, 
dense pyramids, branched almost or quite to 
the ground. The tree is found mixed with 

[81] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

other conifers on the western slope of the Si- 
erra Nevada (and on the eastern in a few lo- 
cahties in the north) at altitudes of from 2,500 
to 7,000 feet. It grows also in the Coast Range 
and in the mountains of Southern California 
at from 3,000 to 8,000 or 9,000 feet, and 
continues into Lower California. BARK is 
cinnamon red, ridged vertically, smooth and 
lustrous, and may be stripped off in long plates 
or thin ribbons. LEAVES are minute, scaly 
bodies, growing in continuous series and form- 
ing flat, ferny sprays of rich design and color, 
which is a deep yellowish green. COXES are 
slender, vase-shaped, from % to 1 inch long, 
formed of (apparently) 2 scales. They are yel- 
lowish when ripe, drying to reddish brown. 
Bark, foliage, and cones are exceedingly fra- 
grant. The timber is very durable and is valu- 
able for many purposes. 



[82] 




M O U X T A I X - H E :\I L O C K 

Tsuga mertensiana 
A group of young trees 



COiS'E-IiEAKlXG TllEES OE CALIEOIINIA 




TSUGA MEBTENSIANA 

Also called T. pattomana 

( MOUNTAIN-HEMLOCK, SIERRA-HEMLOCK^ BLACK-HEM- 
LOCK, PATTON-SPRUCE, HEMLOCK-SPRUCE ) 

A YERY beautiful and Yariable tree, which 
when young much resembles the "Hima- 
laya-pine " {Cedrus deodara) often grown in 
gardens. At its best grow^th it is a straight, 
slender tree with a height of 100 feet or more 
and a diameter of 3 or 4 feet; but in the higli 
regions it inhabits it seldom growls more than 
50 feet high, often branching from the ground, 
frequently much bent and stunted, sometimes 

[85] 



CONE-BEAKING TREES OF CALIFORNIA 

prostrate. The growth of the young tree is 
particularly graceful, the leaders and the tips 
of the branches fragile and drooping. It is 
found at altitudes of from 7,000 to 11,000 feet 
(somewhat lower in the northern part of the 
State), and grows on the western slope of the 
Sierra Nevada as far south as the South Fork 
of King's River. (Said to have been found 
also on San Jacinto JNIountain.) BARK is 
usually grayish brown but on quite old trees 
often bright red-brown. LEAVES are short, 
from 1/^ to % inch in length, rather thick, 
growing in close tufts all along the branch- 
lets. The mature foliage is of a dark, sombre 
hue, but the young growth has a charming sil- 
very color. CONES are oval, % to 2 inches 
long, on stems, usually purple when ripe but 
sometimes yellow-green, resembling large ol- 
ives, and are borne very profusely. As they 
dry they change to brown and the scales are 
often reflexed. The tree grows slowly, and is 
believed to be very long-lived. 



[86] 





-.^i^£c^^^,^r^^^^fy'^m^^^^^^^^ 




m^^m * 




■K :; 31? ;:.:^i^HI^ 







B I G - T R E E 
Sequoia gigantea 
A very old tree known as ''Grizzly Giant/' in the Mari- 
posa Grove 



CONE-liKARINO TllEES OF CALIFORNIA 







SEQUOIA GIGANTEA 

Also called S. washingtoniana or S, xcellingtonia 

( BIG-TREE, SEQUOIA, REDWOOD ) 

rriHE famous Big-Tree of California, the 
greatest of trees, and of an age that ex- 
tends to thousands of years (certainly to 
4,000, possibly much more) . It grows onlj^ on 
the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, in a 
number of isolated localities of which the most 
northerly is in Placer County and the most 
southerly in Tulare County, at elevations be- 
tween 0,000 and 8,o00 feet. Full-grown trees 
reach an average height of from 250 to 300 feet 
with a diameter of from 25 to 30 feet measured 
close to the ground (perhaps one-third less if 
measured above the s^^'ell of the base) . A few 

[89] 



CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIEORXIA 

trees exceed the largest of these dimensions. 
Mature trees have usually 100 to 150 feet of 
the stem clear of branches. The top takes the 
shape of a rounded cone, or dome. BARK is 
soft, from 1 to 2 feet thick, brigjit cinnamon - 
red, grooved vertically, and formed of thin 
flak}^ layers. LEAVES are small, scaly, and 
bract-like, dark blue-green in color, growing in 
branching sprays which form loose drooping 
bunches or tassels. CONES are small, round- 
oval, from 1^ to 2^4 inches long, pendent on 
stout stems, and formed of a small number of 
scales which are diamond-shaped at the ex- 
posed ends. They are yellowish green in color, 
becoming dull coffee-brown when dry. 

Xearly all of these trees are now enclosed 
for preservation in Xational Parks. 

The Redwood of the lumberman is a dif- 
ferent and more abundant species, S, semper- 
virens. It inhabits the seaboard and the Coast 
Ranges and is not found in the Sierra. It 
grows to an equal or even greater height, but 
does not attain quite the girth nor the enorm- 
ous age of the Sierra species. 



[90] 




S I E R R A - J U X I P E R 

Juniper us occidcntalis 



CONE-BEARING TREES OE CALIFORNIA 




JUNIPERUS OCCIDENT ALIS 

( SIERRA- JUNIPER, WESTERN- JUNIPER ) 



A YARiABLE tree, usually short and stumpy, 
often twisted into grotesque shapes, witli 
a few thick limbs making the tree wider than 
it is high. In sheltered places it is more con- 
ventional in growth, but it is rarely over 30 
feet high, though sometimes as much as 60 feet, 
and is of great diameter, up to 6 feet or more, 
tapering raj3idly as the heavy limbs are given 
off. It grows scattered on bleak mountain 
ledges at from 6,000 to over 10,000 feet (lower 
in its northern range), on both slopes of the 
Sierra Nevada, and continues southward to the 

[93] 



CONE-BEAKING TKEKS O I C ALli'OUMA 

San Bernardino Mountains and possibly 
through the San Jacinto Mountains into 
Lower Cahfornia. BARK is about 1 inch 
thick, bright brown-red, smooth, fibrous, strip- 
ping off in ribbons. LEAVES are minute 
and scaly, set in lines with a braided appear- 
ance, sage-green in color, growing in branch- 
ing tufts. BERRIES (technically " cones ") 
are small, round or oblong, about ^ inch in 
diameter, blue-black, covered with bloom. The 
wood is fragrant and cedar-like, and the tree 
lives for many hundred years. 

A slightly different species, J. californica, 
CALIFORNIA- JUNIPER, grows throughout Cen- 
tral and Southern California, generally at low 
elevations, inhabiting mainly the desert slopes 
of the mountains and extending into Lower 
California. The tree is similar in habit but 
smaller than J. occidentalism the bark grayer 
and more grooved, and the berries larger, up 
to 1^ inch in diameter, and reddish in color. 

Another species, J. covimunis, dwarf- 
juniper, is found on Mt. Shasta and the 
northern Sierra Xevada as far south as Bloody 
Canon Pass, at high elevations. It is a shrub, 
with dark, red-brown bark, bristly leaves much 

[91] 



CONE-BEAIMXG TKEES () E CAETEOIINIA 

larger than the minute leaves of other juni- 
pers, and oval, blue-black, sweet berries. 

Still another species, J. utahensis, desert- 
juniper^ grows at high altitudes in the desert 
ranges of South-eastern California. It is a low, 
bushy tree, with ashy-gray bark and a small, 
sweety blue-black berrv. 



[95] 



INDEX 

Abies concolor 68-70 

(jrandis vii 

maguipcd 72-71 

venusia vii 

Arborvitae vii 

Big-cone-spruce 78 

Big-tree 88-90 

Bristlc-cone-fir vii 

Bristle-coiie-pine . . . . , 56-58 

Cliamaecyparis laicsouiaiui . . . , . . . vii 

Coast-hemlock vii 

Coulter-pine 21-26 

Cupressus hakcri vii 

goveniana vii 

macnahiana Yii 

macrocarpa yii 

Sargent a vii 

Digger-pine 28-30 

Douglas-spruce 76-78 

Four-leaf-pine 61-66 

Foxtail-pine 11-16 

Grand-fir yii 

Incense-cedar 80-82 

Jeffrey-i3ine 20-22 

Juniperiis calif ornica 91 

communis 91 

occidentalis . . 92-91 

utahensis 95 

[97] 



1 X 1) E X 

Kiiob-cone-piiie 32-34 

Libocedriis decurrcns 80-82 

Limber-pine 18-50 

3.Ionterey-cyi3res.s . . vii 

]\Ionterey-pine vi 

Mountain-hemlock 8i-86 

Pice a hreweriana c . . vii 

sitchensis vii 

Finns alhicaulis . 52-5 i 

aristata 56-58 

attenuata SS 

halfonriana 41-4-6 

contorta vi, 37 

" coulteri 24-26 

" flexilis 48-50 

jcifrcifi 21 

lamhertiana 12-14 

" monophylla 30, 60-62, Q5, QQ 

monticola 40-42 

miiricata vi 

murraifana 36-38 

parryana . . . . - , 64-66 

pondei^osa 16-18 

ponderosavaT. jeffreyi 20-22 

qua dri folia ... 65 

radiafa vi 

sahiniana 28-30 

torreyana vi 

'' fiiherculata 32-3 1' 

Port Orford cedar . vii 

r98i 



1 N 1) K X 

Prickle-cone-pinc ,.,,.. vi 

Pseudotsuga douglasii 77 

macrocarpa 77^ 78 

mucr^onata . 77 

taxifolia 76-78 

Red-cedar vii 

Red-fir . 72-74^ 

Scrub-pine .......... vi^ 37 

Sequoia gigantea 88-90 

sempermrens 90 

washingtoniana 89 

wellingtonia 89 

Sierra-juniper 92-9i 

Silver-pine 40-42 

Single-leaf-pine 30, 60-62 

Sitka-spruce vil 

Sugar-pine 12-11 

Tamarack 36-38 

Thuja plicata . vii 

Torrey-pine vi 

Tsuga heterophylla vii 

mertensiana 84-86 

pattoniana . . . , = 85 

Weeping-spruce vii 

White-bark-pine 52-54 

White-fir ^. 68-70 

Yellow-pine 16-18 



[99] 



FES 27 1911 



One copy del. to Cat, Div. 



FEB 21 19{| 



